Men's Volleyball

MIT Upends No. 12 Endicott

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. - The MIT men's volleyball team posted a 30-22, 30-26, 30-18 victory over nationally-ranked No. 12 Endicott College in NECVA New England action on Thursday night. With the win, the Engineers improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play while the Gulls fell to 5-3 on the year and 2-1 in the NECVA New England division.

The first game was tightly played as it featured six ties and three lead changes. MIT opened the frame with three consecutive points, which Endicott answered with in kind. Another three-point run by the Engineers was then repeated by the Gulls. After trading points, Tech established a two-point margin (9-7). Endicott tallied three points in a row, resulting in its first lead of the game. Both sides exchanged points, netting a tie at 11. The Engineers developed a slim advantage that was narrowed to one on two occasions, the last occurring at 17-16. Tech responded with a five-point rally, helping it gain momentum to close out the game.

Unlike the opening game, MIT maintained a five-point advantage during a majority of the second stanza. The Engineers' margin eventually grew to seven (21-14), but the Gulls went on to score six of the next eight points. Following a timeout, Tech totaled three points to push its lead to 26-20. Although Endicott posted back-to-back points on two occasions, MIT was able to hold on the narrow advantage for the win.

Despite the setback, the Gulls continued to attack in the third frame as they generated a three-point run to cut their deficit to one (10-9). For the next several serves, the Engineers outscored Endicott at a rate of 2-1, which resulted in a 16-11 lead. Later on, a pair of four-point scoring sprees by Tech put the game out of reach.

Praveen Pamidimukkala totaled a match-high 17 kills as Scott Pollom and Michelangelo Raimondi contributed nine and six kills, respectively. Bob Aspell had the best hitting performance for MIT as he finished with six kills on nine attempts for a hitting percentage of .667. Ryan Dean equaled his season-high mark of 16 digs and added a team-high two aces. Pollom paced the blocking corps with five total blocks while Jordan Wan, Dean, and Aspell each tallied three. Wan also finished the night with 42 assists.

Eric Hunter posted a double-double for Endicott with 23 assists and 10 digs. Clay Ostrander tallied 12 kills, two aces, and a block while Dan Coleman notched a team-high 12 digs. George Chapell and Matt Keepin also contributed a block towards the Gulls' cause.

The next match for MIT will be on Wednesday, Feb. 4 when it travels to Newbury College.